Chapter 168 - Chapter Sixteen: Capture of the Fortress
Having Fiona unbolt the door, we entered through the back entrance.
As we circled the building to check the situation in the front, the Gargoyles were struggling.
The ones attacking were the Gargoyles, but while the brawl in the courtyard was one thing, they couldn't enter the stone buildings without folding their wings.
First of all, there were only fifty of them.
In contrast, there were three hundred armed Revenants. To prevent the intrusion of the Gargoyles, who swung their sharp claws with long arms, they stood before the doors swinging spears.
In a one-on-one situation, the side with fewer numbers would be at a disadvantage.
Already, several Gargoyles had holes in various parts of their bodies.
"Fumu. At this rate, they'll be overwhelmed by numbers."
All the entrances were blocked by Revenants. For our part, we wanted to get inside and deal directly with the casters.
In the air was Robinson-san, supported by a Gargoyle. When Paul-san beckoned, he descended.
"Priest Harrison. I shall remain here. I will provide support with wind magic and coordinate with Robinson to break the stalemate, so could you take Jeanne and the others and infiltrate the interior?"
This proposal was accepted, and we decided to enter through an entrance that the Gargoyles were not attacking. It should be fine since Fiona and the bloody ghost would tell us the information inside.
"[Purification]!"
It was the first actual combat use, but I was able to purify one Revenant guarding the back door.
"Doryaaa!"
While they were distracted by the flames Lyudmila sent flying and lost their balance, the bear charged with enough force to devour them. As he struck down several more with his silver shakujo staff, an entry path was secured.
It wasn't magic, then. Moreover, I felt his style was quite different from the Headmistress's, but I suppose I shouldn't worry about that.
When we entered the first room, there were five Revenants.
Since Lyudmila was sending two or three [Fire Ball]s flying to burn on the floor, we could see well.
All five were wearing chainmail over their heads and holding swords. Some were missing an arm or had their abdomens gouged out, likely from when the fortress fell.
The way they were illuminated from below by the flames was close to a nightmare, but this was no time to flinch.
"[Purification]!"
When I flipped over the [Black Stone] attached to my arm and amplified it, I was able to purify three at once.
"Splendid!"
Priest Harrison charged while shouting, and as he struck down the remaining two, they all turned into soil.
Since there was a torch, we lit it and tied it to the tip of a spear a Revenant had been holding, letting Lyudmila carry it.
It was just like when we did the rat extermination for the first time.
Leaving the rear guard to Fiona, we decided to proceed further.
Everywhere we went, we sent flames flying to the floor to secure light, preempting with my amplified [Purification], while Priest Harrison repelled the rest as we advanced.
Eleanor-sama was coming anyway. It should be fine even if it caught fire a little.
As we proceeded, we came out into a large room.
It was a hall, so to speak, with a large table surrounded by long benches.
There were two more doors in the room. One of them should be the one closer to the stairs.
The defending Revenants were also clustered together, about twenty of them.
They headed toward us as soon as we entered the room.
It was the intruder countermeasure Prince Roberts had mentioned once before.
Several of them got onto the table, while the rest approached with swords from both sides of the table. At this rate, we would be semi-encircled.
"Fiona, return to the crystal!"
Priest Harrison was intending to use a major technique.
In a hurry, I took the crystal out from my collar and had Fiona enter it.
"Fiona has entered the crystal!"
I put it inside my clothes from the collar and pressed it with my hand.
"[Holy Overflow]!"
White light burst from the tip of the staff he thrust into the air, filling the room.
As the light pierced through my body, there was a light impact.
It was the same one the Headmistress used to annihilate the orc horde.
As expected of a super-advanced mage. He chanted it without a word.
The Revenants were all falling as well.
Even so, emitting it from the tip of a shakujo staff was quite cool.
If Beatrix were here, she might have made a sketch of it.
Well, with an old man in a bear kigurumi as the model, there probably wouldn't be many buyers.
We performed the funeral rites for the Revenants who had stopped moving.
[Holy] cannot make them ascend. If left alone, they might eventually start moving again.
As Priest Harrison chanted sonorously and I joined in, a faint light emerged from their bodies and flew outside.
"Alright. We're moving forward. The stairs! Fiona, which way are the stairs?"
"Please wait a moment."
Fiona was busy going in and out.
We all surrounded the door Fiona pointed to.
Whether it was bolted from the inside, it didn't budge even when Priest Harrison kicked it.
Flipping the [Black Stone] again, I pressed the stone against Lyudmila's cheek and had her fire a [Fire Ball] with all her might, blowing a hole in the door; through the hole, I could see chainmail.
I purified it with [Purification], and as Priest Harrison kicked away the remains of the door, a stone spiral staircase was visible beyond.
"If we go down these stairs, we should be able to reach the room where the casters are."
The path down was darkness.
From here on, Priest Harrison told us not to make a sound. If we were noticed and they escaped, everything would be for naught.
Holding the torch over the head of Priest Harrison, who was in the lead, we slowly descended while securing light.
When we reached the landing one floor down, there were Revenants again.
There were three of them, but Priest Harrison dealt with them easily with [Purification].
Three mounds of soil were formed.
Three doors were lined up at the end of the corridor.
Beyond them, we could see stairs going up.
There must be Revenants above.
To avoid being noticed, we approached the middle door, and the voices of people shouting at each other could be heard. Something was going on, with thumping and banging sounds.
"Why are the Gargoyles attacking?"
"I don't know. The lot at the southern fortress must have failed. More importantly, hurry up and draw the [Teleportation Circle]!"
"I just changed the Revenant placement, so there's some time. Don't shout!"
"Drive that ghost away! Look, it's holding an ink bottle again!"
"Eei! This thing is nimble!"
It seemed the fortress ghost was working hard.
Revenants cannot use Holy magic. Wilson-san had said that if they tried to use [Holy] poorly, their arms would be paralyzed. If they tried to use [Purification], their arms might even fall off.
The ghost was likely engaging in a futile battle to buy time.
"Shall I go inside as well?"
Fiona asked, but I had her stay in the crystal.
After all, she's the trump card. I want to choose the right moment to use her.
"Shall we charge?"
When I asked Priest Harrison, he told me to wait a moment. He continued to eavesdrop on the voices from inside.
"Is the magic circle not drawn yet? If we don't call for reinforcements soon, our military strength will be halved."
The reinforcements in this case would likely be the monster tamers.
I'd like to have them called and then wipe them out in one go, but it would be a problem if they escaped.
"I've already reported that the Gargoyles are rampaging. All that's left is to connect a large one to the temple so we can call for reinforcements."
"Just a little more. Do not let that ghost get near!"
It was about time. Priest Harrison nodded to me.
"Lyudmila, do it."
Pressing the [Black Stone] to her cheek, I had her fire three [Fire Ball]s.
Priest Harrison slammed into the door, charging in with the momentum. I illuminated the interior with [Light] at full power.
The fortress ghost had likely passed through the wall to the other side, as he was nowhere to be seen. I had told him from the start to flee when we burst in because we would be using Holy magic.
"Ye insolent wretches there! For the sake of the world and its people, I shall punish thee!"
Priest Harrison was striking a pose with his staff.
I want to believe this kind of thing isn't the Headmistress's influence.
"What! Who are you!"
Three men in black robes all turned toward us at once.
One was crouching in front of a magic circle, while the other two were standing slightly apart.
"Moreover, what is with those outfits?"
The man who had been crouching stood up and pointed at us.
The insolent wretches were actually dumbfounded by us.
It was a collaboration of a bear and a boar.
They probably don't see that very often.
However, that was an opening. Lyudmila sent [Fire Ball]s flying to secure light.
With this, I could use [Purification] too.
"Stay where you are. If you are quiet, I shall overlook your purification."
Priest Harrison held his staff in his left arm and thrust his right hand forward.
Revenant versus high-ranking priest.
In a normal fight, the priest would win.
"[Wind Cutter]!"
"[Magic Reflection]!"
The man who had been drawing the magic circle suddenly unleashed magic.
Chanting without a word meant he was an intermediate mage or higher.
However, it was reflected by Priest Harrison's magic, and his own head was sent flying. It was the [Magic Reflection] of a super-advanced mage. Even a Revenant wouldn't be able to break it.
"You! Do you think you'll get away with this!"
The head that had rolled away was shouting. It wasn't a very pleasant sight.
Lyudmila clung to me.
The torso hurriedly picked it up, but since it was being held under the arm, it felt strange.
When he placed the severed head on top and muttered something, tentacle-like things emerged from the cut and the head was trying to reattach.
Wait a minute. I hadn't heard they were that unconventional.
"Do not lump us together with frail creatures like you. We are eternal."
Hoh. Shall I test whether you are eternal or not?
When I unleashed amplified [Holy] from both hands alternately, it hit his face like a back-and-forth slap. The head, which hadn't reattached yet, rolled onto the floor again, and the torso chased after it in a hurry.
Lyudmila tapped my shoulder. It actually hurt quite a bit.
"Get away from the magic circle!"
When Priest Harrison spoke to the man who had reattached his head again, he twisted his mouth as if laughing.
"Too late. I have already finished drawing it. Our reinforcements will be jumping here shortly."
All three stood before the magic circle.
"You've only finished drawing it; you haven't imbued it with magic yet, have you? If you can use it, then try."
When the other two looked at the man who had reattached his head again, he turned serious.
Seeing that, the other two held their hands toward us.
"[Magic Barrier]!"
It was a double layer. Chanting without a word meant they were advanced mages. With this, the effect of our magic would be greatly reduced. They likely intended to block Holy magic with magic defense and buy time.
As Priest Harrison readied his staff, the two of them also thrust their staves forward in response.
The opponents seemed skilled as well, and Priest Harrison didn't lung forward.
They continued to glare at each other.
Eei! When I threw a stone I held in my hand, it missed widely and rolled past the magic circle, but it did break through the [Magic Barrier].
"Where are you throwing? You fool."
The man holding his head was saying whatever he wanted.
Next, Lyudmila threw a stone.
Perhaps she had been practicing, as it hit the man's forehead.
Since the opponent was holding his head with both hands so it wouldn't fall, he couldn't dodge well. It hit him one after another.
"You! What are you... fugoh!"
I threw one at him while he was making a fuss, and it went into his mouth quite nicely.
He was spitting it out.
"You little girl! Remember this! I'll tear that head of yours off later!"
As a follow-up, when Lyudmila prepared the next stone, he turned sideways and ducked while shielding his face from the stones, and as he crouched, he held his hand down and chanted magic.
"[Teleport]!"
A hazy yellow light emerged from his hand. However, it wasn't being absorbed by the magic circle at all.
"What's wrong? Didn't you finish drawing the magic circle?"
As Priest Harrison smirked, he desperately used [Teleport] repeatedly, but the result was the same.
That was only natural; the stone I had thrown was a spare crystal, and while Lyudmila was throwing stones, Fiona had secretly come out and spilled ink on the magic circle.
Since Fiona had already returned to the crystal rolling on the floor, the man wouldn't know.
"What are you doing? Hurry up!"
"You. You must have made a mistake in drawing it."
Even infighting was breaking out.
"That's impossible... Ah, there's ink spilled here. Is this the work of that fortress ghost!"
The fortress ghost had evacuated outside. It was a complete false accusation, but I'd have to ask him to endure it.
"Damn it! I won't let it end like this."
The man held his hand toward the wall.
Beyond the wall was the next room.
"[Necromancy]! My servants! Come here and defeat the enemy!"
It seemed he had called the Revenants from the next room.
Both Lyudmila and I were poor at close combat.
The sound of something running came from behind us.
"Kukuku. We are in front, and Revenant soldiers are behind. Now, what will you do?"
All three twisted their mouths as if laughing.
This was bad.
However, we had to do something.
"I'll handle the ones behind with [Purification], so please take care of the three in front. And keep the three in front distracted with stone-throwing!"
I confirmed that the [Black Stone] was attached to my hand.
I could purify up to three at a time.
If I worked hard, I could manage about forty.
I stood facing the door where the footsteps were approaching.
As it opened, just as I was about to unleash magic, a bipedal boar entered without a care.
It suddenly thrust its hoof forward.
"[Magic Break]!"
With this, magic was nullified. The Revenants' [Magic Barrier] no longer had any effect. On our side, it was fine since the super-advanced mage Priest Harrison had already chanted [Magic Reflection].
"It seems we made it in time. You mustn't sneak off and do such interesting things alone."
Human blue eyes peeked out from two holes near the neck.
It was actually Eleanor-sama.
Beyond the door, the Jaeger unit dressed as bandits was clashing with Revenants.
As a reinforcement, when I chanted [Purification] and turned them into soil, she thanked me and entered the room.
The Revenants, seeing the bandits with silver swords following one after another, lost their will to fight and surrendered.